Kareena Kapoor Khan on why it is important for her to be a working mother

On any given day, log on to Instagram, and chances are your feed has been taken over by Kareena Kapoor Khan. There’s Kareena hitting the gym (more on her much-discussed ‘gym look’ later), there’s Kareena with her statement bag and pap-repelling sunglasses, having lunch with her girl gang (Malaika Arora Khan, Karisma Kapoor and Amrita Arora). There’s Kareena at the airport, wearing a slick blazer and boots (her favourite look, if you must know). There’s Kareena at Mehboob Studio, in trackpants and a tee, in between shots. There’s Kareena taking Taimur (a social media sensation if there ever was one!) out for the day. You get the drift.

We are a culture that, while new to the pervasiveness of the paparazzi, has embraced it in its totality. Here’s a woman going through her day, and her somewhat mundane errands and routine become constant talking points in a 24-hour news cycle. It’s no surprise then that social media is a large part of my conversation with Kareena. We’re in her trailer as she preps for another medium, her new radio show. “I’m excited to be interviewing Sunny Leone today. She’s so badass, and bindaas. And I love how private she is,” she tells me about the show that will touch on important women-focused topics.

Ironically, the woman in question is not on social media, at least not officially, but yes, “I’m stalking!” she says, laughing. Who is she following, then? “I’m obsessed with Pat McGrath. Maybe because I have my own line now, but I’m really into following makeup brands,” she says. She then rattles off all the fashion shows she’s loved in the season so far: “Versace was just so good, and Burberry was just fab!” she says in her trademark, emphatic style that amplifies every syllable. Then there is the current trio of Bella, Kendall and Gigi. “They are only posting photos of pizza and chocolate cake. Are they really eating all that? But then, they’re in their early twenties…”

Harmless scrolling aside, she is acutely aware of the flip-side of social media, especially when it comes to Taimur—somewhat of a national obsession and barely two years old. “I hate it, but what can we do but ignore it?” she sighs. It’s a conversation she and husband Saif keep having, she says, but they’ve resigned themselves to the reality and constantly endeavour to react naturally. “We both believe that children are a product of their parents and their surroundings, and at home we plan to keep it as normal as possible. That will be his foundation.”

Her ambivalence to this constant attention aside, she admits with a mother’s pride that no matter where she goes, whether it’s from a restaurant server or a passerby, Taimur is the focus. “It’s like I’m forgotten! Is Taimur here? Is Taimur coming? What is Taimur doing?”

So, what is he doing? She laughs. Taimur (who is at an age where he tends to repeat everything he hears) is at home with his father, who has a late call time for a shoot. Like with most working mothers, our conversation veers towards the constant balancing act. “My lifestyle has changed, and I do prefer to start a little later so I get the mornings with him.” Saif and she consciously try to plan their schedules so at least one parent is home, and dinner and bed time are sacrosanct. While she was shooting Veere Di Wedding, Taimur, then barely nine months old, accompanied her on most of the outdoor shoots. For the most part, she has decided to focus on two film projects a year.

“It’s so important to do the things you love,” she says. “If I am not happy, how do I keep my family happy?” It’s bewildering that in today’s environment there’s still so much discussion on her multi-hyphenate status of working actor-mother-wife. But in an industry where the longevity of an actress’ career has been historically short-lived, she has, in fact, opened new doors. “I wanted to be a mother, but at the same time I was not ready to give up my entire life. It’s important that Taimur sees a woman who comes home after a hard day’s work and is happy. Also, let’s be honest, women are better at multitasking!”

At the risk of expounding a cliché, happy girls, they say, are the prettiest, and Kareena is looking her best. She’s the fittest she’s ever been—she attributes it to Pilates—though she says she’s going back to more intense workouts with her best friend Amrita Arora. “It’s fun to have a workout buddy.”

“It’s a constant struggle,” she adds with a theatrical flourish about the battle of food versus body. “I’m a Kapoor—we love our food—and I can’t diet.” It took her 16 months of intense workouts to get back into her pre-mom jeans, but she says she didn’t overthink it and that made it a fun process.

Her indulgences? Pizza, pasta, red wine. “I’m a cheap date!” she laughs, mentioning that Saif makes a mean spaghetti aglio e olio. The couple loves entertaining at home and in their quest for balanced meals (“I cheat more than he does!”) YouTube comes in a handy.

She’s also really come into her own sartorially. As you would expect with Kareena, when it comes to style, like in her life, there is no sitting on the fence. “I’m all about comfort, but when I dress up I like to be sexy and glamorous. I am not a red-carpet girl; I don’t like to turn up in big gowns. For my own birthday I was in jeans and a T-shirt. Look at Kate Moss—she’s always so cool in jeans and jacket, and you look at her and think, ‘God! That’s how I want to be.’”

And what about her famous gym looks? Those leather-effect leggings, the strappy racer-backs, the lamé bombers? “That’s something I think of the least. I buy all of it at Selfridges in London or from Kate Hudson’s label Fabletics, and I just mix things up and go.”

She’s an obsessive online shopper, with Net-a-Porter being a favourite. “I just ordered this beautiful black Maison Margiela jacket. And then I thought, Where will I wear it? But I will go to Gstaad in the winter, so I guess it works there? And then there’s this Vetements jacket that I’ll be wearing to the airport. I’m telling you, every few days a package arrives.” Other favourites include denim (Re/Done and Grlfrnd top her list), Gucci sweatshirts and tees, which make up her daily wardrobe, and tailored jackets from Rag & Bone, with high-street pieces from Mango, H&M Conscious and AllSaints thrown in. What does she feel her best in? “If I’m super-fit, then jeans, with a sexy tank top and a pair of boots. That’s hot!”

What’s also hot right now are the trending ‘Poo’ memes, after her sartorially-forward, supremely confident and hilariously ditzy character in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). “Poo was the first to really wear high fashion on the screen—Roberto Cavalli jackets, Versace jeans, Fendi Baguette bags, leather minis and crop tops—and the funny part is they are all back today. I saw Kendall wearing red leather pants the other day that were so similar to what I had worn on screen!”

The character’s in-your-face sensibility is what she says draws people right back to her, and given that Johar is a close friend, the comparisons between Bebo and Poo were immediately drawn. “I remember asking Karan, ‘With Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Jaya Bachchan, what am I going to do in this movie?’” And he promised me that I would thank him for the rest of his life for giving me Poo. Which is exactly what happened.”

She’s back to working with Johar in his historical opus, Takht, which goes on floors next year. Also in the pipeline is Dharma Productions’ Good News with Akshay Kumar. What else is exciting her? “Family holidays are a must, at least three a year! I love going back to the same places. Gstaad, London…they are my comfort zones, though now London is all about the parks with Taimur.” Next summer they are headed to Greece, and on their bucket list is Jamaica’s GoldenEye resort, where they plan to go once Taimur is a little older.

Film, family, fashion, food and travel… It’s a full life for this leading lady.

Read more in Vogue India’s November 2018 issue that hits stands on November 5, 2018